Two Towers partners Van Oord, Investri Offshore and Green Giraffe, have fully commissioned the Borssele Wind Farm Site V. The innovation site, featuring 2 Vestas 9.5 MW turbines, incorporates several innovations.
Borssele V, located around 20 km off the coast of Zeeland and situated within site III of the Borssele Wind Farm Zone, was designated by the Dutch government as an innovation site to introduce advanced technologies for commercial application in future offshore wind farms with larger turbines and in deeper waters and to demonstrate the practical value. The technologies should contribute to decrease the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE).
Two Towers was awarded the project in 2018. Van Oord was responsible for the Balance of Plant scope for this project. Vestas was selected to provide 2 V164-9.5 MW turbines. Sif Group provided the monopile foundations. Several innovations are incorporated at Borssele V. All of these innovations have been developed by Van Oord in cooperation with other research partners.
Slip Joint
It is the first time anywhere that a submerged Slip Joint, an alternative connection in a wind turbine foundation, has been used on a full-sized offshore wind turbine on a fully commercial basis. The design and manufacturing of the Slip Joint were certified by DNVGL in the autumn of 2019 and installed in April 2020.
Coating protection and internal corrosion mitigation
Other technologies introduced at the site are the Thermally Sprayed Aluminium (TSA) coating technology and the Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) internal corrosion mitigation technology. Also incorporated are oval cable entry holes.
Eco-friendly scour protection
The seabed surrounding the 2 turbines is fitted with Eco-friendly scour protection. This sustainable technology is used to explore how nature and renewable energy generation can be mutually enhancing. Oysters will be placed on the protective layer of rock on the seabed to improve biodiversity and the natural habitat for aquatic wildlife.
Watch several movies on the project at Van Oord’s site.
